Happy Holidays everyone!

Chapter 31: The Resort

Even staying in human form, Inuyasha's increased nose was working overtime.

"Yasha!" Kagome called, for what he didn't realize was the third time.

His attention was brought back to his girlfriend. He apologized sheepishly, "sorry, I just can't help it. My nose may be weaker in human form, but it's still stronger than it was and everything smells amazing here." They were walking past the dining area which smelled of delicious food, which he hoped to eat later.

She chuckled, "I know you're having fun, but maybe don't go putting your nose in the air like a dog. Be a bit more subtle maybe?"

Was he sniffing around looking like an idiot? Oops. Going away from his normal in-the-moment vigilante routine, he was actually investigating a ski resort in Hakuba tied to a recent string of missing persons. The police had been baffled and even Sesshomaru took an interest in the more supernatural aspects of the case. The media was all over the possibility of youkai involvement, so they had to put a stop to it before anything drastic happened. That was why he and Kagome checked into the place as guests. Well, he hadn't intended to get Kagome involved, but his mother's scheming made that impossible. Once she found out, she had called Kagome's mother and offered for Kagome to join Inuyasha on the company trip, which was the original excuse. Her mother still believed that, but there was no lying to Kagome while no one in the company was there. His mother said they'd look less suspicious together, although he was still pretty sure this was about making sure they got grandchildren in a few years.

He sighed. "Well, there isn't too much to do at the moment. Most of the disappearances happened in the middle of the night. We'll have to wait."

She whispered, "I've been keeping my reiki really low so no one senses it, but so far I haven't sensed anything."

He nodded, "you mean apart from the slayers?"

She turned to him suddenly, "what do you mean slayers?"

He let his eyes roam to one occupied table, "I think it's them, but it's hard to tell as a human. There's a light scent of youkai blood in the air, like on Sango's father, and the bags they have are way too big."

She looked over to the group, but couldn't really see what he did. "At this distance, I should be able to sense if they had reiki, so they're just pure slayers."

He nodded again, "I assumed that since I haven't felt any protective barriers or charms in the place. They're just here hunting."

But Kagome was still considering their presence. It was true that the place didn't feel of any youki, but typically slayers respond to incidents by inviting a spiritualist to purify the place first. Usually, they only came alone if there was a confirmed sighting and their intent was to hunt and kill. But the missing persons would indicate serious risk to the public safety which means they should've brought a spiritualist to contain any youkai or put up a protective barrier. In other words, it was odd. The slayers were typically considered to be in charge, but having both groups work together was the whole point in having one joint operation. "I'm going to introduce myself."

That caught Inuyasha's attention and he grabbed her arm, "what're you talking about?"

She didn't fight him, "It is considered polite to introduce yourself if you're tracking a youkai in an area under someone else's jurisdiction. Besides, maybe they have some useful information."

"Yah, and how are you going to explain being here?" he questioned.

She just blinked at him. "I'm here vacationing with my boyfriend and I happen to know about the missing persons, so I'd just like to know if there's anything to be wary of. The truth is easiest." It was the truth, they were paying for their stay and she was totally going to be using the skiing hill and hot tub later. "Why don't you grab us some hot drinks? Trust me, I have been at this longer." Giving him a smile and easily removing her arm from his grip, she wandered over to the possible slayer group.

Maintaining her smile, she wandered right up to the group and let her reiki rise, but contained it well within the room. Instantly, the group of four moved their attention to her. Slayers may not be born with the ability to sense youki and reiki, but the job made them get a feel for it.

"Hi! I couldn't help but notice your gear." Right on top of them, she really could. One of the burly men had something in their bag which radiated spiritual energy. No doubt a weapon.

The only female of the group spoke first. She had a pleasant smile. "I'm impressed you noticed. What's a priestess doing out here?"

Without missing a beat, Kagome answered, "my boyfriend and I have been planning this trip for weeks. We're from Tokyo." She pointed at the man standing at the espresso machine.

Her smile faltered, "does he have-?"

Kagome shook her head. "No, but he's got some ties to a lot of us, so he was in-the-know before the 'incident'." The group nodded at that. Knowing youkai existed and being in-the-know were two totally different things now. Kagome continued, "noticing you guys here, I just wanted to check if there was anything to be wary of? I'd heard of the missing persons here of course, but it would be good to know if we should watch out for a human threat or youkai one."

The slayers looked between each other before the female finally answered, "We believe it's youkai. Specifically, a group of bat youkai."

Kagome was confused, "bats? But it's winter. And of all places, these are the mountains."

One of the men sighed. "Normally, they would come nowhere near here, but with modern technology the cold isn't quite as much a hindrance, and they're taking advantage of that."

The burly man continued. "We don't know why they're here and the council won't acknowledge our information because they believe it is ludicrous."

Kagome put it together, "that's why you don't have a spiritualist with you?" At their nod she asked, "ok, but why are you so certain it's bats if you can't convince the council?"

The female spoke, "the bat tribe has been having problems since the death of their leader Tsukuyomaru and the retaking of the clan by his father, Taigokumaru. The clan has been acting erratic, with many of their members being spotted all over Japan. My brother and I," she pointed at the male next to her, "had been in charge of tracking their activity. With help from all of the slayers around the country we found the paths of all of their members except three, along with Taigokumaru. They were last seen heading into these mountains and never returned. Then, the disappearances started." She smacked the table in frustration. "The imbeciles in charge won't believe us just because they can't find a logical reason the bats would leave their natural territory. Instead, they just sent a few members to question the bats and warn them to stop the flights before humans see them too much."

Kagome considered the information. It did seem odd that the bats would travel into the mountains, but it seemed as good of a lead as any. "Thanks for telling me. We'll be around for a few days and will keep our eyes peeled."

Kagome filled Inuyasha in on the new information she obtained. Both chose to consider it since they didn't have any other leads. Since the incidents always happened at night, the couple took advantage of the amenities of the hotel before turning in very early to get a little sleep before taking the night watch.

"AHHH!" The scream woke both of them. Kagome tried to regain her senses while Inuyasha sat there, panting hard. Realizing what had happened, she reached over to the jewel around Inuyasha's neck and let some reiki flow into it.

"You ok?" she asked. She could feel the darkness radiating from the jewel.

Inuyasha caught his breath. "Y-yah," he stuttered. The jewel had a habit of invading his dreams. This time the jewel showed him a vision of how powerful he could be if he wished to be a full youkai. It was great, until he killed his mother because that was necessary to kill the 'weakness' within his heart. Like hell he would! "Damned jewel." They'd found it couldn't take control while he was asleep, but it sure could make him feel like shit. Unfortunately, it was getting worse if it could invade his dreams even while he was sealed to human.

Kagome sighed. "Well, it's almost midnight so I guess we needed to get ready anyways." He sighed before getting up too. He released his seal, but kept his youki tight. The slayers may not have had a spiritualist amongst them, but he didn't want to be sensed. Following that, he bundled up in winter clothes including a thick beanie which hid his ears, and he tucked his hair and the beads into a jacket. He kept his head down and the beanie low in front, but just had to hope no one noticed his eyes in the dark.

Both camped out near the front of the resort for over three hours, but sensed nothing. No youki, no youkai scent, and no weird noises or scents. Everyone was asleep, so the place felt like a ghost town. Kagome had fallen back asleep a while ago and he really didn't feel a need to wake her. The slayers were the only ones out, but they seemed to be wandering the nearby wilderness, not the actual resort.

Inuyasha snorted before finally hearing something. It honestly just sounded like pans banging in the distance, but he swore he felt some youki flare for a moment, like a panic reaction. It was inside the resort. "Kagome, wake up." He nudged her shoulder.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"I sensed something," he answered. She woke up instantly.

Inuyasha couldn't pick up anything else and only headed in the direction he originally sensed the flare up. Suddenly, a scent caught his attention. He could tell it was youkai, but couldn't place it, though he realized he also wasn't familiar with what bats smelled like. They followed the scent to what turned out to be the kitchen. Even Kagome's ears could now pick up the sound of movement.

Without thought, Inuyasha barged in with a growl. He could smell youkai behind the door, but what greeted him wasn't what he expected. He blinked at the two startled females, one being a child, "who're you?" He could see a few pans scattered on the floor, it must've been the loud sound he heard before.

The adult shakily answered, "we were just looking for a late night snack. Sorry to intrude."

He was about to answer when the child tucked behind her pushed forward. "Your eyes, they're gold." As a reflex, Inuyasha turned his face down so he wouldn't be exposed, momentarily forgetting the scent of unidentified youkai. Before he could respond with a pitiful lie, the child continued forward until she boldly grabbed onto his leg and looked right into his eyes again. She didn't say anything, she didn't have to. At this range, there was no mistaking her scent. She was the source of the youkai scent… and yet also a human one. Holding onto him, her suppressed youki also became obvious.

"You're a hanyou," Kagome realized.

The startled woman tried to pull her child back. "We're sorry to intrude, we're just passing through."

Inuyasha stopped her, "Passing through? Your scent is all over this kitchen, and some of it is stale. You've been coming here for some time."

The woman's fear was temporarily replaced by confusion, "Scent?" She, too, looked into the eyes her daughter had seen. "You're a youkai?"

"Hanyou," he corrected.

Suddenly everything clicked into place as she saw the few silver strands peeking out of his clothes. "You're the crimson vigilante. Son of the Inu no Taisho."

The kid looked up at the confirmation of what she had hoped, "I saw you on TV where you saved that young girl. Will you help us too?"

Young girl? He'd saved a few, probably Rin or the girl in the fire were the only ones he could remember got caught on camera. He shook his head. It didn't matter. He looked at the mother, "help you with what?"

It was the girl that moved first and removed her backpack to bring out a large red orb. The mother spoke, "my daughter is the hanyou child of Tsukuyomaru, leader of the bat youkai." So it was the bats. "He died unexpectedly and his father was passed back the leadership of the clan. But he saw unexpected potential within Shiori and knew that she could wield the clan's sacred treasure like her father. It gives the wielder the ability to put up and maintain a massive barrier. But to do so would mean she'd be trapped with the bats forever, she'd never be allowed a normal life. To ensure this would happen, he destroyed Shiori's human blood seal and tried to take her away. When he came for her, there was nothing we could do but flee. I didn't even know Shiori had taken the orb with us, but it had been her father's treasure. We came to the snowy mountains hoping they couldn't follow, but Shiori says she's been sensing other youkai."

After a moment Kagome asked, "why are random people going missing though?"

She held her daughter close, "I had heard about that. I suppose Taigokumaru could be attacking them, but we haven't seen anything."

Kagome continued, "why not just return the orb? This trouble can't be worth the sentimental value."

She shook her head, "the orb can only be used by its guardian. That was passed to Shiori when her father died. Alone, it is useless to Taigokumaru."

Inuyasha asked, "why not go to the slayers? If youkai won't leave you be, isn't that their job description?"

Kagome cringed, already realizing the answer. "Not necessarily." Inuyasha looked at her confused. "With Shiori being a hanyou, by definition this is more a youkai problem. They haven't threatened her mother, nor are they specifically trying to hurt or abuse Shiori. They can get in trouble if they've been hurting humans, but otherwise it is far safer to hand over one half youkai than to wage war on an entire clan that is simply facing an internal dispute."

So a hanyou isn't human enough to deserve protection? Inuyasha growled in frustration. "So we either prove they've been attacking humans or deal with it ourselves."

Kagome looked at the mother and daughter. "Why don't you two stay with us while we figure this out?"

Inuyasha looked at her and nodded. "Yah, and hey, maybe my brother will be able to shut down the bat clan."

"He might be able to." Inuyasha looked back at the mother. "Back when the clan was under Taigokumaru's control before Shiori's father, they were often at odds with the Inu no Taisho. In fact, they once nearly went extinct, but were spared when Tsukuyomaru asked for mercy. He had already been the clan's barrier guardian by then and threatened to leave, knowing they were in the wrong. The rest of the clan reluctantly agreed to a truce since without the barrier, they stood no chance. The youkai council wouldn't care if a human says the treaty is being broken, but if the heir of the Inu no Taisho were to take a stand, things would be different."

Both Kagome and Inuyasha nodded in agreement before leading the family to their room to hide.

He listened as the phone rang twice before silence. "Sessh?"

There was a pause. "If you are not actively dying, then I am happy to arrange it for you."

He blinked. "Why? Oh-" It was like 3am wasn't it? A normal Sesshomaru was an asshole, but a cranky sleep deprived one? He cringed. "W-well… not yet. Bats are nocturnal though!"

"Bats?" his voice was still annoyed, but now confused.

He nodded which Sesshomaru wouldn't see. "The previous leader of the bat clan under dad's authority recently died. His replacement is apparently an asshole trying to kidnap and imprison his hanyou granddaughter. Some slayers seem to think he's in the area. He could be behind the recent missing humans too."

"Hanyou? You are referring to the Hyakki Mori then, owners of the blood coral crystal. Father was a fool to allow them to live after their last revolt."

"You know about the glowing red orb? It as powerful as they say?" He would ignore the comment about killing them off.

"Hm. Quite. Even with Tessaiga, you would likely be unable to break the barrier. Centuries ago, father found and exploited the weakness that the barrier's caster must drop the barrier momentarily for their own attacks to proceed through it."

"Good to know, but the barrier isn't really my concern. We have the orb and current guardian. Taigokumaru just needs to leave his granddaughter alone."

"Taigokumaru has continued causing trouble for father for centuries. His son was the only reason their clan was spared. Do what you wish with them, none in the council will care."

Inuyasha snorted. "That's basically what Shiori's mother said and anyways, I didn't really care what the council thought. I was gonna protect Shiori since apparently no one else will."

"And you felt the need to inform me of your intent?"

"I was hoping you could talk the old geezers on the council into doing something. Or hell, maybe I'll just take care of it and I was just hoping for some advice! How do bat youkai fight? How can I track him when I only have Shiori's mixed scent to go by?"

"Hn. Perhaps his most threatening ability is to create sonic blasts from his mouth." Inuyasha's ears folded down at that thought. "If you have the orb, lure him to you by breaking it."

"Break it? Ain't it a sacred treasure?"

"To a clan that shall soon cease to rule." Inuyasha shuddered at the return of his brother's usual tone. He finally realized the full extent of what Shiori's mother said, she just missed the mark on Sesshomaru's willingness to personally shed the bat's blood. His father controlled a majority of the remaining youkai territory which apparently included the bats. Sesshomaru was probably planning to finish sleeping, but afterwards, the clan would probably be 'removed' from their lands within a day. Now that their father was 'out of commission', their fate was Sesshomaru's choice. His brother was not as merciful as their father and they already had one chance. "Without the orb, the bats should pose little challenge for you."

Inuyasha sighed before ending the call, "thanks." I guess.

"Break it?" Shiori's mother questioned. "It's a sacred treasure passed down for millennia, it can't be broken."

"You'd think the Shikon jewel would be unbreakable then," Inuyasha muttered. One again shaking his head of pointless thoughts, he replied, "it was Sesshomaru's idea. I guess he believes otherwise."

Kagome added, "the orb is highly tied to its guardian. It's possible that if the guardian wants it destroyed, then the orb will allow it."

They all looked towards Shiori and Inuyasha took a step forward. "What do you think Shiori? The crystal is yours, it was your father's." The girl looked at him. "I'll free you of it, but only if that's what you want."

The girl looked away with a pensive expression before finally replying. "I do. I want to stay with mommy."

Her mother kneeled down beside her and enveloped her in a hug. "Your father was an amazing man. He never wished for the duties of being a guardian and he wouldn't want this life for you." She looked at Inuyasha. "If you think you can destroy it, then it's yours."

He nodded. "Guess we should take this outside then."

Kagome looked at the surrounding wilderness with a concerned expression.

Inuyasha noticed and questioned, "Kagome?"

She startled, "Sorry." She looked around some more. "I was just trying to figure out where the slayers are. With their weapons out, I can sense their vague aura, but it's way into the mountains."

"The mountains?" He looked that way. "I don't sense nothin." Not even their weapons, but Kagome was better at that sort of thing.

She shook her head. "I don't either. That's why I'm surprised. They wouldn't have strayed away from here unless they were pursuing something."

"Weird." But not knowing what else to think, Inuyasha drew Tessaiga. Shiori reached into her bag and took out the blood crystal, placing it on the snowy grass. She hesitated for a moment before letting go of it and taking a step back.

He could feel the crystal pulse, it knew what he intended. Not letting that deter him, he raised Tessaiga above his head and let his youki flow into it. He swung, "Tessaiga!" Instantly, a red barrier appeared around the orb which he continued to push against. But he couldn't shatter it and eventually the energy ricocheted, knocking him backwards.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome was at his side in an instant.

He stood back up, "well, I guess that's the barrier that everyone's been talking about."

Shiori's mother nodded, "yes, the red barrier protects- "

A loud screech consumed the night causing Inuyasha's already covered ears to further flatten. "What the hell?"

"Grandfather," Shiori remarked.

They all looked in the direction the sound came from. There he saw what looked like a really ugly ogre with wings. "That's Taigokumaru?" Inuyasha asked. He smiled, "Keh! Well if we can't destroy the orb yet then we'll buy some time taking care of this old man. Kagome, can you look after these two as well as the orb? Sounds like the old man is nothing but a coward missing his shield." They had plenty of time to get away. Taigokumaru must've tracked Shiori to the area, but judging by his distance from the resort, he hadn't known exactly where, which explained the random bat sightings in the area.

Kagome picked the orb up off the ground and placed it back within Shiori's bag. "Fine, but don't get cocky. He's the leader of the bats for a reason."

With a smirk, Inuyasha leapt into the trees to reduce the height advantage the bat had over him, plus the trees would provide cover.

"Shiori!" called out the raspy voice of the bat.

Intentionally drawing attention to himself, Inuyasha replied, "who the heck is Shiori? I'm Inushinku."

With a flap of his wings that shook all of the trees, Taigokumaru turned towards him. He laughed, "Inushinku? A half breed protecting a half breed. How predictable. Return my granddaughter to me or you'll suffer the same fate as the last fool who got in my way!" The last fool?

It was Inuyasha's turn to laugh, "a worse fate? The way I hear it, my father schooled all your asses and that's back when you had the barrier." He intentionally showed off Tessaiga and charged it with his youki. It was up to the old man whether this went the easy way or the hard way.

Taigokumaru smirked. "And he's the one facing death right now. You're just a worthless, pathetic half breed pup."

Even if he knew his father was actually fine, it was still a painful reminder and insult. With a growl, Inuyasha raised his blade and unleashed the wind scar right at the bat. Taigokumaru managed to dodge it with a swift flap of his wings before taking a deep breath and an ear piercing sound emitted from his mouth. After taking a moment to regain his balance, Inuyasha could make out white rings of youki rapidly approaching him. Flattening his ears, he raised Tessaiga and concentrated on his opponent's youki. "Backlash wave!" Although he tried to move rapidly, Taigokumaru was much too large to avoid all of the whirlwinds of energy. One caught ahold of him, and he was no more. "Worthless?" He whispered to himself. "Well apparently Shiori had plenty of power to be valuable to you! You can't have it both ways, dumbass." Sheathing his sword, he tracked the scent back to the others.

"Well that was anticlimactic," remarked Kagome. "I guess the barrier really was the only thing they had going for them."

Shiori stood in awe. Kagome simply stood content, having adjusted to feeling Inuyasha's youki practically 24/7, she hardly felt its steady growth. Shiori's mother was the only one who saw the events for what they really were. She couldn't believe how powerful the crimson vigilante was. Taigokumaru may have been reliant on the barrier, but he wasn't weak without it. The backlash wave merely turned all of his power back against him. The more powerful the bat's attack, the more powerful the return attack. But the only way to return such an attack is to have more raw power yourself. She smiled. Youkai respected power. One day, they too would realize what a hanyou could become. She looked back at the three chatting youths. "We should still destroy the orb before someone else in the clan comes hunting for it."

With a nod, Inuyasha redrew Tessaiga. "Alright Shiori, let's try this again."

It only took a moment for her to pull out the orb once again. This time, however, she didn't hesitate putting it down. With her grandfather now gone, she just wanted her freedom. "Please destroy it Inushinku."

With a light chuckle he responded, "to you, it's Inuyasha." He focused on the orb and felt it pulse once again, but the feeling was more malicious this time. Raising Tessaiga once again, the orb pulsed harder. Just as he was about to swing, a red form rose from the orb.

It took a moment to recognize it, but Shiori was the first to scream, "grandfather!"

"Shit." Raising Tessaiga, Inuyasha turned towards the red bat moving through the air and swung. "Wind scar!" The attack hit the form before being scattered. It bounced off harmlessly like when I hit the orb itself. The form suddenly dove at Shiori and her mother who huddled against the orb.

Kagome, standing just a few feet from them, released an arrow at the form. Like Inuyasha's attack, it exploded ineffectively against the red barrier.

The form continued its attack and a red barrier suddenly appeared around the family. Taigokumaru flew into it at high speed and was painfully repelled. Shiori swore she felt a familiar, comforting hand on her head.

Inuyasha noticed Taigokuamu's red form suddenly become more transparent. Seeing Shiori and her mom still protected by a barrier, he took a chance and aimed. "Wind scar!" The attack once again pressed on the bat's form, but this time the barrier protecting him began to crack. Seeing the crack, Inuyasha put all of his strength into his sword and once again called out, "wind scar!" The attack pressed against Taigokumaru until more cracks formed and, finally, he shattered. Inuyasha moved to quickly check that Shiori and her mother were still ok, only to see them looking at the orb between them. It was cracked in half, the color from it gone. He felt Tessaiga pulse and looked down at it, only to see it glowing a blood red.

Kagome approached. "Tessaiga. It's the same as the barrier." They all watched as the color returned to normal.

With a shrug and a mental reminder to ask Sesshomaru, Inuyasha sheathed his sword. "You two ok?"

"I felt father," commented Shiori.

"Your father?" Kagome questioned. "That's where the barrier came from?" She nodded at her own question. "That makes sense. The crystal, passed guardian to guardian, must remain bound to each. His spirit came to protect you."

Shiori's mother looked up at Inuyasha. "It wasn't just him. Thank you," she said, bowing.

Inuyasha looked away awkwardly. "It ain't nothin'." It was so much easier just being the vigilante and not being expected to respond to a compliment. Fortunately, he was saved from having to say anymore thanks to the sirens suddenly sounding in the distance. He cringed, "think someone saw the battle?"

Kagome sighed, "possibly. Even if the public didn't, I can't imagine the slayers didn't feel it, which means we have some explaining to do. They knew I was here, but that wouldn't explain your blast of youki."

"We should probably avoid letting the news get a hold of this with their own theories." Removing his beanie, he let his silver hair and dog ears show. He turned to her. "Why don't you take Shiori and her mother back to the resort? I'll talk to the police, and slayers if need be. If the slayers ask where you are, I'll just tell them we ended up working together and you're out tending to the victims." He smirked, "the truth is easiest."

With a roll of her eyes, and yet a kind smile, Kagome gently gripped Shiori, "let's go!"

Inuyasha had waited in the same spot for a few minutes expecting the police to come to him, but to his surprise, they stopped quite a ways away. With a shrug, he took to the trees and went to them. Perching himself in a tree, he observed.

They were at a cabin located a good ways from the hotel and people were being dragged out. Some were looking ragged and being wrapped in blankets, while some were being dragged away in handcuffs. The slayers were talking to the police. He listened.

"We were just looking for a spot to set up a campfire when we noticed some tracks. We came out here to get some privacy and were surprised so we followed them." A campfire? That was the best excuse the man could come up with? He recognized him as one of the slayers from before, but that just meant he should be a better liar.

But the policeman nodded, ignoring the weird detail, "at what point did you notice the gang?"

The slayer snorted, "when we got to the clearing. Some dumb owl broke a branch right above us, giving us away." Inuyasha silently snickered. Slayers should definitely be well trained enough to not give away their locations, but they were done in by a bird?

The policeman nodded again, "but even outnumbered, you were able to take them out?" He didn't really sound like he believed it, understandable.

"My friends and I had our hunting gear with us, and we all have martial arts training. Plus, the gang was caught off guard or it might've gone worse."

The policeman hummed, "well, these folks are lucky you were in the right place. We'll need an official statement from you guys later, but it's pretty cut and dry. At least the disappearances weren't youkai after all." The last statement was mumbled, but obviously the slayer caught it too since he turned towards the youkai in the trees. Even if they had been too busy to get involved in bat drama, they had to have felt the fight in the distance. Letting himself quietly slide into the slayer's view, Inuyasha held still for a few moments until he was sure the slayer would recognize his form. He realized he'd also need to submit a statement later, but this was better. Let the public believe there were never any youkai plaguing the mountains. It was true after all, they were only plaguing a little girl. Seeing the slayer's eyes widen, he leapt away.

Kagome held the door open. "Welcome to Taisho Tower, Shiori!"

Shiori, who was thoroughly wrapped in clothing to hide her youkai features, looked around in amazement, "everything looks like technology, but feels like magic."

A voice suddenly sounded from behind, "as it should. Our technology research team leads the market in blending the two. The possibilities are quite lucrative."

Inuyasha snorted. Show off. "Keh! Your brilliant team finish the charm yet?"

Without a word, Sesshomaru moved to a nearby table and picked up an innocent looking box. Removing the lid, he seemed to inspect it before handing it to Shiori. The girl opened it and pulled out a sleek looking lavender watch. As she inspected it, she noticed what looked like a tab to be pulled out. Doing precisely so, a short metal point was pulled out. "To ensure a speedy transformation should you need."

Shiori looked up at Sesshomaru. "Thank you." Realizing what she had to do, she put the watch on and pricked her finger over the sharp edge which caused it to immediately recede back into the watch. She then ran her finger over the surface and watched as the blood instantly soaked in. She felt her senses dull slightly and watched as her hair turned brown.

Sesshomaru looked at his brother. "Satisfied?" Inuyasha shivered at the condescending smile on his brother's face. He wasn't someone you were supposed to doubt.

Still, refusing to give his brother the satisfaction, Inuyasha took a sniff of the girl, noticing her now human scent, "it'll do."

Shiori's mother breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you. I know it's not much, but your family will always have our loyalty."

"As expected," answered Sesshomaru, who left the room.

Inuyasha rolled his eyes, "don't mind him." He bent down to Shiori's height. "Just promise to make the best of your new life. 'Kay?"

"Okay!"